EarthCARE on cloud nine after smooth start to mission
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 11:00
ESA’s EarthCARE mission has completed its important ‘Launch and Early Orbit Phase’ and is ready to begin the commissioning of its four scientific instruments. The data they gather will improve our understanding of the role that clouds and aerosols play in Earth’s radiation balance and benefit both climate modelling and weather forecasting.
Pale Blue gets additional funds for water vapor thrusters
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 10:52
First detection of negative ions on the Moon
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 10:38
The first ESA instrument to land on the Moon has detected the presence of negative ions on the lunar surface produced through interactions with the solar wind.
Europe’s largest ground segment updated with no user impact
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 10:30
Over 200 dedicated professionals from ESA, EUSPA and European industry across four Galileo centres and seven external entities have seamlessly upgraded Galileo’s massive ground segment. In a remarkable feat of coordination and precision involving the deployment of 400 items, and after five months of rehearsals, Galileo’s ground segment, the largest in Europe, has transitioned seamlessly to System Build 2.0.
Slingshot unveils AI that spots satellite anomalies and potential bad actors
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 10:00
Towards zero-debris CubeSats
Wednesday, 05 June 2024 08:00
In the past few years CubeSats revolutionised space applications in low Earth orbit, levelling the playfield and opening space to commercialisation, especially for smaller and medium companies. While their benefits are undeniable, a significant drawback is their potential to generate additional space debris. As the requirements for orbital lifetime and sustainability become more demanding, new challenges will arise for CubeSats. ESA is looking for innovative ideas to make the versatile satellites more sustainable.
Hubble goes to single-gyro operating mode as NASA passes on private servicing mission
Tuesday, 04 June 2024 23:22
Mission complete for ESA's OPS-SAT flying laboratory
Tuesday, 04 June 2024 19:16
Launched on 18 December 2019, OPS-SAT was tasked with opening up the world of spacecraft operations to the widest possible audience. Its founding principle was to provide a fast, no-charge, non-bureaucratic experiment service for European and Canadian industry and academia.
It brought experimenters from companies, universities and public institutions across Europe and beyond into the heart of ESA's ESOC mission control center and helped them prove that their new ideas were up to the challenge of flying in orbit.
Flying ESA's most capable and flexible onboard computer, OPS-SAT showed us what future satellites will be capable of as they begin to carry more advanced equipment.
An in-orbit laboratory open to all
OPS-SAT was the first fully ESA-owned and operated CubeSat. A small, low-cost, innovative and open mission was unusual for ESA mission control, which typically flies Europe's largest and most complex spacecraft around Earth and across the solar system.
Boeing's Starliner set up for third shot at first human spaceflight
Tuesday, 04 June 2024 19:08
A pair of NASA astronauts will try again on Wednesday morning to take a ride on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, making its first-ever human spaceflight.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have already suited up and climbed on board the spacecraft twice in the last month, but will try for a third time with a launch attempt set for 10:52 a.m. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron forecasts a 90% chance for good conditions.
The most recent attempt on Saturday came within four minutes of liftoff, but an issue with ULA's computer system at the launch pad forced the scrub.
"The disappointment lasts for about three seconds," said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno after the scrub. "We've been at this a long time and you just immediately get busy and do your job, and we'll be back."
Teams have since replaced the launch computer hardware, setting up the latest attempt. A May 6 attempt was scrubbed because of a fluttering valve on the ULA rocket's upper Centaur stage, also since replaced, while Boeing and NASA had to sign off on the safety of a small helium leak on Starliner's propulsion module that they ultimately decided not to fix.
First metal 3D printing on International Space Station
Tuesday, 04 June 2024 18:52
One small s-curve deposited in liquefied stainless steel equals a giant leap forward for in-orbit manufacturing: This is the very first metal 3D printing aboard the International Space Station, which took place last Thursday, aboard ESA's Columbus laboratory module.
"This S-curve is a test line, successfully concluding the commissioning of our Metal 3D Printer," explains ESA technical officer Rob Postema.
"The success of this first print, along with other reference lines, leaves us ready to print full parts in the near future. We've reached this point thanks to the hard efforts of the industrial team led by Airbus Defense and Space SAS, the CADMOS User Support Center in France, from which print operations are overseen from the ground, as well as our own ESA team."
Sébastien Girault, part of the team at consortium leader Airbus adds, "We're very happy to have performed the very first metal 3D printing aboard the ISS—the quality is as good as we could dream."
The Metal 3D Printer technology demonstrator has been developed by an industrial team led by Airbus under contract to ESA's Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration.
K2 Space plans first launch as company wins customers for its large satellite bus
Tuesday, 04 June 2024 17:42
